In pop art, an image from our collective lives is shown without structure or texture.
In poetry, an idea from our collective lives is put into words which lose meaning but have structure
and texture. This is a pop art poem. This is a pauper's poem. This is a popular poem. This is
arty. This is a rarety. This is a try. This is how I make carrot-bran-pineapple muffins. With
2 cups flour (half white, half whole), add teaspoons each
salt,
soda,
nutmeg,
cinnamon
and
a handful of oat bran. Apply the adverbial well to mixing the nominative well to the center.
then
In a separate bowl, to 2 eggs add half-cups each
sugar,
canola oil,
walnuts,
and whole
cups
carrots, pineapple, coconut. The walnuts chop-ped, the carrots g/r/a/t/e/d, pineapple crushed
with its own juice and the eggs bEaTEn, pour this mix into the white well, then, well, do not mix well.
The oven at 175°C (350°F), grease, flour, and fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes
or until the centers feel soft like cake, not gooey. Let the muffins cool before removing them. I like to
eat these muffins warm, with cold butter. I do not like to eat them cold, with hot butter.
Christy Bergman
2004
Note: I'm not sure I succeeded with this poem. The idea came from my preoccupation with the way pop
art takes images from our everyday lives and by rendering them flat on a canvas, abstracts them
in such a way that we are distanced and can evaluate the images more contemplatively. In thinking how
to apply this to a poem, I decided to take a practical subject, such as a recipe. I also decided to take a
real-life structure. In this case, the meter reflects real-life measurements of my waist line during
two weeks' time when I tested my recipe. (Measurements in centimeters, not inches!)
and texture. This is a pop art poem. This is a pauper's poem. This is a popular poem. This is
arty. This is a rarety. This is a try. This is how I make carrot-bran-pineapple muffins. With
2 cups flour (half white, half whole), add teaspoons each
salt,
soda,
nutmeg,
cinnamon
and
a handful of oat bran. Apply the adverbial well to mixing the nominative well to the center.
then
In a separate bowl, to 2 eggs add half-cups each
sugar,
canola oil,
walnuts,
and whole
cups
carrots, pineapple, coconut. The walnuts chop-ped, the carrots g/r/a/t/e/d, pineapple crushed
with its own juice and the eggs bEaTEn, pour this mix into the white well, then, well, do not mix well.
The oven at 175°C (350°F), grease, flour, and fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes
or until the centers feel soft like cake, not gooey. Let the muffins cool before removing them. I like to
eat these muffins warm, with cold butter. I do not like to eat them cold, with hot butter.
Christy Bergman
2004
Note: I'm not sure I succeeded with this poem. The idea came from my preoccupation with the way pop
art takes images from our everyday lives and by rendering them flat on a canvas, abstracts them
in such a way that we are distanced and can evaluate the images more contemplatively. In thinking how
to apply this to a poem, I decided to take a practical subject, such as a recipe. I also decided to take a
real-life structure. In this case, the meter reflects real-life measurements of my waist line during
two weeks' time when I tested my recipe. (Measurements in centimeters, not inches!)